It is well known that telephone distribution frames currently usually include two types of elements, which constitute the essential elements thereof, namely, firstly, "cable heads" into which the subscriber cables, with their many constituent wires, are received in a given geographical distribution pattern, and, secondly, "connection strips" which distribute the subscriber cables in number order, and from which go the cables connecting the assembly to the automatic exchange in question, with link wires commonly referred to as "jumpers" being disposed between these elements.
Filtering and/or protection components are also provided.
Currently, such filtering and/or protection components are disposed in the cable heads of the distribution frame, and on the subscriber cards of the automatic exchange.
The connection strips of the distribution frame are currently usually mere connection terminal strips and are free from any filtering and/or protection component.
However, in order to be able to increase the capacity of automatic exchanges, for a given volume, it is now necessary to move the filtering and/or protection components from the subscriber cards to the distribution frame.
Therefore, consideration is now being given to inserting such filtering and/or protection components into the connection strips of the distribution frame, as is already the case for the cable heads.
With respect to a cable head, in the French Patent filed on Oct. 31, 1978 under No. 78 30896 and published under No. 2 440 636, the connectors to be implemented are disposed in rows, each connector having at least one connection terminal. The connectors constitute input connectors for connection to the incoming wires, and output connectors, respectively aligned with the input connectors, for connection to the link wires. At least one filtering and/or protection module is associated with the connectors, which module carries at least one arbitrary filtering and/or protection component to be inserted between the connection terminal of an input connector and the connection terminal of the corresponding output connector, and channels suitable for guiding the link wires are associated with the connectors.
In practice, in that French Patent No. 78 30896, the input connectors and the output connectors in the same row extend in the same plane, over the inside face of one of the walls of a modular connection block, over the outside face of which extend associated guide channels. The guide channels are all distinct from one another, and each channel has an approximately 90.degree. bend between its input and its output. The filtering and/or protection modules implemented are in the form of drawers, which, for the purposes of co-operating with the connectors, have contact blades on the bottom surface of their bases, so that the electrical connections between the filtering and/or protection modules and the connectors are achieved by means of pad-type contacts.
Given its overall configuration, and unless its overall size were to be so large as to be prohibitive, such a distribution frame element would not be suitable when, as in the present case, it is necessary to equip connection strips with all or some of the filtering and/or protection components that are usually present on the subscriber cards in the automatic exchange.
An overall object of the present invention is to provide a configuration that would be satisfactory in that case, while also being suitable for cable heads.